Routing algorithms help Uganda school bus bring students to class on time

PRESS RELEASE PR Newswire

Sep. 5, 2017, 08:00 AM

The Walking School Bus partners with Routific to improve access to education in rural Uganda

VANCOUVER, Sept. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - A school bus in rural Uganda is leveraging route optimization algorithms to help bring hundreds of students to school on time.

Routific's routing software is typically used by delivery businesses to increase revenues and reduce costs. But this school year, the technology is optimizing bus routes so children in eastern Uganda can get to school as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"Every day, over half a million students in Uganda walk over five kilometers to get to school," said Walking School Bus founder Aaron Friedland. "Many of these students arrive at school without eating. It's impossible for them to thrive in the environment they have fought so hard to access."

The Walking School Bus raised $14,000 to purchase the school bus earlier this year. The bus travels 55.4 kilometres (34.4 miles) every school day, and transports nearly 100 students to and from Hadassa Primary School and Semei Kakungulu High School.

The organization has also created an innovative approach to sustaining the bus. In between morning and afternoon school bus runs, the vehicle moonlights as a public and private taxi – generating $28.50 CAD ($22.47 USD) a day.

"The Walking School Bus has taken a very smart approach to their development work for impoverished communities around the world," said Routific Founder and CEO Marc Kuo.

"We love how they are leveraging technology to do their work as efficiently as possible, stretching their donor's dollars as far as they can possibly go."

The Walking School Bus is now fundraising to purchase a school bus for the Yonatan Netanyahu Memorial School in Putti Village, Uganda. Visit thewalkingschoolbus.com to learn more.

About The Walking School Bus

The Walking School Bus supports access to education by providing a holistic approach to educational attainment. Their work includes providing safe transportation, nutrition, and innovative literacy programs for students in developing countries.

About Routific

Routific is a route optimization solution for last-mile delivery fleets, saving food delivery businesses like DoorDash and Krispy Kreme Donuts up to 40% on time and fuel. Routific works with a number of nonprofits, including Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity.

SOURCE Routific

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